By Basant El-Faramawy
A Public Accounts Committee report has disclosed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received more than £2,000 a month from subletting cottages on the Royal Lodge estate during his 22-year tenure.
Committee reveals subletting income
The details emerged in a letter from James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse, to the committee, sourced from the Household of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and shared with his agreement. The letter, dated 7 September 2026, confirmed the former prince is content for the information to be public, though the total income over two decades was not divulged.
Subletting arrangements
For most of the tenancy, one cottage was sublet at below market rate to an in-situ tenant who worked for the royal family. From late 2021, for an undisclosed period of less than a year, three cottages were sublet, generating a combined income of just over £2,000 a month before maintenance and expenses, with rents set as a percentage of salary and below market rates.
Eviction and future of Royal Lodge
Andrew was evicted from Royal Lodge in February following revelations about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and now resides on the Sandringham estate. The cross-party committee recommended that a ban on subletting become standard practice at the Crown Estate, with a standard lease provision prohibiting it unless the landlord's prior permission is obtained.
Royal household rent policy
The committee also called for a consistent policy for setting rents in royal residential properties after Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie had rents adjusted based on outdated valuations. Eugenie's rent for Ivy Cottage is now 64 per cent of a 2026 open market valuation, while Beatrice's apartment is at 68 per cent.
Crown Estate response
The Crown Estate, a £17 billion portfolio returning profits to the Treasury, said it is considering the committee's findings and recommendations and will respond in due course.
